LOFFT

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Logo since 2013
Former logo
Theaterhaus bei Nacht (location until July 2018)
Entrance (until July 2018)

The LOFFT (short for Leipzig Off-Theater ) is a production and venue for independent theater in the cotton mill in Leipzig . It was initially set up in 1997 as an umbrella association for the founding members Büro für OFF-Theater , theater structur focal , Studiobühne , Poetisches Theater and INSELbühne . After its early years in downtown Leipzig, the LOFFT was located in the Theaterhaus Leipzig (formerly House of Folk Art) on Lindenauer Markt from 1999 to 2018 . Until moving into Hall 7 on the site of the former Leipzig cotton spinning mill in March 2019, LOFFT played in various interim venues.

The LOFFT does not have its own ensemble . The original idea was to enable the city's independent theater groups to work professionally. National and international co-productions and guest performances now form an important part of the profile. The aim is to bring the Leipzig scene into contact with national and international developments. The program focuses on post-dramatic forms of theater and contemporary dance.

history

In October 1997 the LOFFT was founded by the sponsoring association (Association for the Promotion of the Leipziger Off-Theaters eV) in the Beyerhaus (since the 1970s the venue of the Poetic Theater of the Karl Marx University until 1989). In 1999 the move to the theater house on Lindenauer Markt (formerly House of Folk Art ), newly created by the city of Leipzig , which was used together with Leipzig's municipal children's and youth theater ( Theater der Junge Welt ). Many artists known today staged at the LOFFT, such as B. Thomas Lehmen , Xavier Le Roy , Michael Schindhelm , Jérôme Bel , Ole Schmidt , Chris Weinheimer . Many of them still make regular stops at the LOFFT today. These include B. Nicole Beutler , Christoph Winkler , norton.commander.productions , Lunatiks produktion , Jana Ressel , Laurent Chétouane or Irina Pauls .

Since 2015, the LOFFT has hosted the Ursula Cain Prize , which takes place every two years to promote dance theater in Saxony. The patrons of the award were Sabine von Schorlemer and Eva-Maria Stange .

In 2016 it was decided that the LOFFT would get a new theater building on the premises of the Leipzig cotton spinning mill and move there by 2018. Due to construction delays, this date was postponed to the first quarter of 2019. After moving out of the Theaterhaus am Lindenauer Markt in July 2018, five interim theaters have been used in the meantime. The opening at the new location took place in March 2019.

Own and co-productions

Since its first season, the LOFFT has also appeared as an in-house producer, co-production and cooperation partner of various organizers and independent theaters on a national and international level. The co-producers are selected by an artistic advisory board in an annual tender. In addition to this professional program line, the workshop stage has developed over the past few years as an important place of testing and experimentation for young theater producers from Leipzig.

Regular festivals

The theater festival euro-scene Leipzig has been working with the house since the LOFFT was founded. The Off-Theater office uses the LOFFT to host the MANöVER festival , which specializes in Eastern Europe and has been under the title OFF EUROPA since 2006. The LOFFT has been organizing the Leipzig Amateur Theater Days since 2005 . Since 2005 it has also been the venue for the annual Leipzig Movement Art Prize . The LOFFT has organized the dance offensive every year since 2007. Festival for current dance, which shows well-known productions as an international event.

Irregular festivals

The LOFFT also organizes its own festivals - some together with other cultural institutions. These include the dance conference 'TANZEN IST DENKEN' (2000 - with the Leipzig Dance Archive), 'WESTEND' (2003–2005 - with the Schaubühne Lindenfels ), 'UWAGA! Poland Come '(2005 - with e-werk Weimar eV) and' German Stories' (2009/2010).

financing

The LOFFT finances its program as far as possible from separately requested public and private special funds. The basic funding comes from the City of Leipzig and the Free State of Saxony and serves to cover personnel, house and business costs. For in-house and co-productions, third-party funding is sometimes requested from funding institutions such as the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony , the Darstellende Künste Fund, the Federal Cultural Foundation, etc.; z. In some cases these - if they were not applied for by the performing theater themselves - are calculated as additional funding in the business plan.

literature

  • Stefan Kuntz, Federal Association of Free Theater eV: Survival kit for Free Theater

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.medienservice.sachsen.de/medien/news/188916 New dance award is intended to give stimulating impulses for the dance state Saxony
  2. ↑ LVZ-Online: Relocation of Lofft, LTT and Natural History Museum - culture makers celebrate Leipzig city council resolution - LVZ - Leipziger Volkszeitung. In: www.lvz.de. Retrieved September 1, 2016 .
  3. ↑ LVZ-Online: Waiting for the spinning mill: The Lofft plays in five interim - LVZ - Leipziger Volkszeitung. In: www.lvz.de. Retrieved July 18, 2018 .
  4. ↑ LVZ-Online: amazement in new rooms: opening festival in the Lofft. In: www.lvz.de. Retrieved April 1, 2019 .

Coordinates: 51 ° 19 ′ 33 ″  N , 12 ° 18 ′ 57 ″  E